Narrow Pathways
by Shade Embry
Summary: After Mason is shot, his CTU ally and Nina approach the situation from very different angles.


TITLE: Narrow Pathways  
  
AUTHOR: Brittany "Thespis" Frederick  
  
E-MAIL: baltimorelt@yahoo.com  
  
CATEGORY: Drama/Angst, Speculation  
  
SPOILERS: 8:00-9:00 PM preview  
  
RATING: PG for language  
  
SUMMARY: Speculation from the FOX.com 24 forum and in the 8-9 PM preview has Mason being shot. Nina and Liz approach this disastrous event from very different angles.  
  
RECOMMENDED LISTENING: "In the End" by Linkin Park (thanks to WolfGirl for suggesting it to 24 fans everywhere!)  
  
  
  
Of all the wider angles, chaos chose the smallest.  
  
Mason walked onto the CTU floor with a dissatisfied look on his face. Tony was working the phones, rolling on his sources; Nina was getting the reports from the field teams, plotting possible next moves. Milo and Liz were at Liz's workstation trying to coordinate the two. But something was missing. He stopped a moment, made his usual prickly decisions.  
  
"Nina, Tony, I'd like an update on my desk as soon as possible."  
  
Nina and Tony shared an irritated glance that Mason ignored. Liz was talking to Milo but looking at Mason from the glow of her computer screen, expecting him to order her to do something, as he always seemed to rely on her.  
  
"Liz, I'd like to see you in my office in about five minutes, if it's possible."  
  
Liz nodded, while Nina looked back at her from her own desk, surprised as always that Liz always got an out, an excuse to not follow Mason's orders. But Liz didn't have an explanation. She went back to prepping Milo and was halfway out of her chair when another CTU agent arrived and approached Mason. The two spoke briefly, then Mason looked at her. "Liz, could you give us a few minutes?" he asked and she nodded, starting back toward her chair.  
  
She and Nina saw the whole affair.  
  
Words were exchanged between the agent and Mason in the confines of Jack's glass office. Mason was standing no more than a few feet from the man, looking right at him as he pulled a gun and shot the District Director point-blank. They saw him fall and the rest was like a whirlwind. Liz was the first one to clear her head, acting only on instinct. Nina was already calling an ambulance. Tony lunged for the shooter, taking him down as he made a run for freedom. But that was all second to the man who lay wounded on the office floor. As her comrades took hold of the situation, Liz flew up the stairs of the office and looked down on her fallen friend.  
  
"Christ, George," she said, rushing to him. "Where did he get you? Tell me what to do."  
  
"Check my briefcase," he told her, and she stared at him. He was fading fast. "At least it was you, Liz," were Mason's only other words to her before he passed out.  
  
"What the…" she started, but didn't finish, feeling for a wound. The bullet had hit him in the chest and gotten a good hit, but it appeared that the aim had been shaky at the last second; at least it didn't appear to have hit anything truly vital. She thanked all higher powers in the universe for that as she tried to staunch the blood with her hands. When the medics and Tony arrived in the room she had Mason's blood all over her, yet managed to stand and pull herself together.  
  
"I already explained, Liz," he said as the medics rushed Mason from the room and out of CTU. In the chaos, Liz went to Mason's briefcase and searched for any sign of why this might happen, but no answers yielded themselves. Finding instead a letter addressed to her – what he must have been talking about – she quickly hid it in her jacket. When Tony finally glanced to her, Liz was still staring. "What kind of sick bastard would do this kind of thing?" she said, and he didn't know.  
  
After that, the information and changes came fast and furious. With Mason out, Nina became de facto unit leader of CTU. Mason's initial prognosis was a 50-50 chance. They figured someone from Division would be down to take over the reins – something Mason had tried desperately to prevent – soon enough. Liz exited the office without telling Tony what Mason had last told her. What did he mean? At least it was her … rather than whom? And what was in this envelope, after all? What secrets, what lies, what truths?  
  
"Liz, you should go and change," Nina said needlessly. Liz nodded to herself and excused herself while Nina and Tony shared another glance, still thinking of the concealed letter. It wasn't every day that you had a close friend's blood over you while he fought for his life. And he had definitely been trying to tell her something that he didn't want anyone else to know.  
  
What would he keep from Nina and Tony, but not from her?  
  
When she was gone, Tony exhaled. "Talk about a break in the case," he said.  
  
"You think I'm happy about this, Tony?"  
  
"No, I'm saying that this is way out of control," he snapped back.  
  
Nina sighed. "I don't have any love lost for George Mason, but that doesn't mean I won't do my job."  
  
"What about personally?" Tony said, scanning her gaze.  
  
"Personally what?"  
  
"Excepting the job, what do you really think?"  
  
Nina had to look away. "I wish I'd pulled the trigger." 


End file.
